Exclusive: NDTV, Network18, Times Network oppose MIB’s landing-page proposal

New Delhi: Several major news broadcast networks have written to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) opposing the draft amendment that seeks to exclude landing page impressions from television ratings. 

The representations, submitted on December 5, argue that the proposal is both legally untenable and technically unsound, and would unfairly distort the Television Rating Points (TRP) ecosystem.

In a strongly worded submission, NDTV, Network18 and Times Network, in their individual capacities, said the proposed amendment attempts to regulate a matter currently pending before the Supreme Court, making it, in their view, a violation of administrative propriety, government sources told BestMediaInfo.com. 

They added that the ministry’s proposal effectively tries to revive a measurement method that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had already examined and rejected in 2018 as “unsuitable” and “technically flawed”.

According to them, the draft amendment is based on an incorrect assumption that landing page viewership is “illegitimate”. They argued that a landing page is a widely accepted marketing and content-discovery tool. When viewers switch on their set-top box and a channel appears first, the decision to stay or move away is a matter of pure consumer choice, making that viewing both real and measurable.

“The proposal seeks to artificially redact genuine viewership data,” the broadcasters stated, adding that excluding landing page impressions would “delete real consumer engagement” from the ratings currency and disrupt the commercial reality of how television audiences behave.

The representations emphasise that landing page placement is no different from premium physical placements used across other industries. They compared it to the front-page jacket of a newspaper or prime eye-level shelving in retail stores, high-visibility marketing positions that contribute to genuine consumer decision-making and are fully counted in those sectors’ performance metrics.

“Just as sales from prime supermarket shelves are not excluded from market share data, viewership from a landing page must not be excluded from TRPs,” they told the ministry, urging MIB to withdraw the proposed amendment entirely “to preserve the integrity of the rating currency”.

The broadcasters also pointed out that TRAI, after detailed technical examination in 2018, had warned against any attempt to remove initial impressions because the methodology risked filtering out real viewing, as many consumers continue watching the channel they first see upon switching on their device.

Industry pushback is also building beyond large networks. The All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) has already written to the ministry opposing any change in the use of landing pages. Several smaller broadcasters have submitted similar objections, arguing that the amendment could disproportionately hurt their viewership visibility and ad revenue.

The proposed amendment on landing pages comes at a time when the government has been reviewing industry submissions regarding transparency, audience intent, and the influence of set-top box architecture on viewership metrics.

The issue has gained renewed traction after the Ministry sought comments from broadcasters, MSOs, consumer groups and industry bodies on whether first-impression exposures should be counted as valid viewership impressions. 

The move followed complaints from certain broadcasters and advertiser groups who argued that landing-page placement may inflate viewership of channels that have preferential distribution deals.

In parallel, multiple cable operators and distribution platforms have told the government that landing-page configurations are part of long-standing commercial agreements and cannot be treated as an irregular practice unless explicitly defined as such in regulation. 

Industry associations, including those representing digital and traditional broadcasters, have also recommended that the Ministry approach any change with caution, emphasising that the sector is still stabilising post-COVID and amid ongoing fragmentation of TV audiences.